Sunday

Sep 3, 2017 at 12:01 AM

The drive began Thursday, Aug. 31; by Saturday, Sept. 2, the floor of Fire Station One on Main Street was covered with bags and boxes of donated items — clothing in the front, baby items toward the back, personal care and pet items in an adjoining room.

SHERBORN — Houston, Texas, is half a country away, home to the Johnson Space Center, the Astros, the Rockets … and one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States in more than a decade.

Hurricane Harvey inundated the Houston area with more than 4 feet of rain in less than a week; even before the waters began to subside, organizations from around the country began collecting and sending aid.

The Sherborn Fire and Rescue Association joined that effort late last week, organizing a drive for clothing, baby items and other necessities.

“I came up with the idea … I sent [word] out to Sherborn Next Door and Facebook,” said Sarah O’Connell of the Fire and Rescue Association.

She said compiled a list of recommended items from the Boston City Hall website.

The drive began Thursday, Aug. 31; by Saturday, Sept. 2, the floor of Fire Station One on Main Street was covered with bags and boxes of donated items — clothing in the front, baby items toward the back, personal care and pet items in an adjoining room.

Volunteers, both adult and children, spent of the morning sorting the donations, boxing them and storing them in a trailer loaned by the Sherborn Police Department.

“My math teacher’s brother lives in Texas,” said Chip McStravick, who attends Pine Hill and is a member of Sherborn Boy Scouts Troop 1. He added that although that teacher’s brother managed to make it out of the area OK, the status of his house remains uncertain.